San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-02-21
OLD TIME FESTIVAL.
CELEBRATED SATURDAY NIGHT AT
CASINO HALL.
The Ancient City of Ulm, Germany, in the
sixteenth Century, Portrayed
Very Graphically.

Very Graphically.
The Casino association numbers two hun
I dred and ten members IN this city. Its mem
/ bers for the most part are the richest and
/ most prominent citizens of San Antonio. Il IL
/ the second oldest association ia the city and
/ Its property on which its hall on Casino street
| is located, is very valuable. The major part of
/ Its members are Germans and OF the better
| class OF Germans too, II there can be any dis
! tinction by this republican nationality. For
| two seasons now, or rather since the advent
| into our city OF Herr Adolf Schnaith, the
| members have attempted to outrival each pre-
| vious event by giving annually grand cos
tune bail, always with the view of commemo-
ratiI Y some historical event OF the Father
| land so dear TO every German heart. For
many months OF this year they have been pre-
pairing for the celebration Of their annu al
merry making, which eliminated las: Satur-
! day night in the grandrst and most pictur-
esque, besides enteI ming event that has
ever occurred In the history of the city. Moth
| ing like it has ever been seen In this city and
| those who secured tickets of invitation
| thought Themselves indeed Fortunate aud spe-
| ulally favored The visitor and regular
habitue Of the Casino club hall on entering the
| portals Saturday night was astOnished and
| II quito took ones breath away. one did
hardly know the place, complete was the
change In the interior arrangement of the
hall. lie was transported from the year 1885,,
| In old San Antonio dc Bexar. United States of
America, allin "A trice to che ancient city of
| Ulm, in the southern part of Germany. in the
year i5li. aud ut such terrific retrograde
ih'NCihti's Nh'iS 70 NV "'ihtI WIS NtNll-
dered
The scene is laid in the mars ct placo or pub
| hc square of the city. The visitor catered the
hail the same as he would enter the city Itself,
through the heavy iron gates of the stone
wall that encircles the city. He comes out
directly upon the market place. On all sides
! are tue dwellings, shops and public buildings
1 OF the citizens. TO the right as you enter, the
wall runs toward the old city dungeon prison,
| which Is now destroyed Hirsch street runs
| past the prison in beautiful perspective
showing houses of quaint architecture and
| frowning caves, with queer looking windows,
| In which were little shops. On the right of
the square is an old candy store, a. historic
feature of the citv, with its windows ARRANGED
| to display its choicest wares. Through the
| door of this shop. (which opened into the re-
ception ON OF the hail. one could see that II
was yeritable candy store, where sweets.
| cahes and coffee were Icing sold to ladies and
gentlemen In the eldest yet very picturesque
costumes. At the opposite end of the square
| was tho old gothic city hall, beautiful in
| architecture ana ornament.
This was so arranged as to receive a large
number of spectators, the large stage being
reSrraDged for the purpose and one could
| almost believe they were gazing upon the
genuine scene. To the left OF the city nall was
| shown the Hcrdbrucker street, and the per-
| spccCive WAS so finely executed that the
| temptation 20 take "A stroll down the street
| was very great. On the corner of this street
was the old inn of the Red OK, a popular hos
| telry in its day, and on the opposite corner
| was street leading OF to the old city gates IN
the distance. gentleman who has
| said Saturday night that the scene was
| an exact representation of the OF ginal.
| This effect was produced ON canvass, of
which over 1000 square yards were painted bv
| FIVE painter under the direct superv sion of
| Herr Schnaith. The square was lighted by
| special gas fixtures in the form of four circles
and large star in the centre of the ceiling,
| the heavy and costly pendant chandeliers, FIVE
IN number, which lighted the all,haUng been
taken out.
| The event ce ebrated is what is known I'm
German history ''(lFOsgDDW ghDOtIUU
nament" In the old imperial city OF Ulm. Ulm
was a free city, having its own government.
consisting of burgOmeister and council, and
was then the richest city in Germany,
famous for its commerce, It's ships and It's
soldiery. Its military consisted of cross bow.
men, who were i'm station like our militia OF to-
day, and were composed of the flower of the
highest families of the old city. To this tourn-
alnent the CITY invited all the mobility of the
whole German empire, and sent pressing in
yitation to their nearest neighbor, the duke of
Wurtemburg, very rIch and powerful noble.
He accepts, with his duchess aud suite of no,
bles and ladies. The scene opens. At .
O'Clock the people of Ulm appeared on the
square, coming from the doors of the houses
and shops. of the old wine cellar and the Red
Ok. Presently bugle sounded and the com.
mander of the military, who is acting as grand
master of ceremonies, arrives. He is very
pompous, selt-impOrtant man, always sounds
MS Dugle to denote when he is going to speak.
| He is called the Chrisostomous Eiberle.
command silence from the jeering,
laughing crowd he spoke saying, THE lord
burgOmesIer and sage cOuucil of Ulm have
sent me- do you near, me, to tell you what to
| do, aud IL you do not do as is commanded you
| " : be fined heavily and put into the dun
geOns o. the prison for many years, eIc. BE
you present, all OF you, with your wives and
daughters and sons, each in their best attire
at 10 O'Clock sharp IN this, the market place, to
go together 10 receive our high gdCsts. About
your houses, the lord burgomeister mas said to
me, ChrisostOmous Eibe-le, even me- that you
have To clean your houses, your floors, steps,
nalln afVasr "a
and whitest linen be on yoJr tables; the chill
dren must be cleaned rom di /, nicely dressed
and thej" noses cleaned, so that our guests
shall have the best OpIuion of our city and not
go away laughing at us. Also, 10 me he has
| said, not to let yoLr horses, cows, mules or
| Pigs run upon the streets, or you will be fined
heavy. He went on to state that the entertain.
| ment fof the guests would be grand shooting
| fest and commanded all the men to be present
to take part, and all those skilled in the use of
| the crOSSOOw. After finishing with flourish,
| he departed and everybody FASTENED to their
homes TO execute the burgomeister's orders.
| A day elapses and the time Of the next scene
| is 9:g5 a. m. The whO'e populace comes To
| the market place, forms in procession and goes
| out of the gates of the city to meet the Duke
and his suite, herald having arrived and an
| nOunced his near approach. They move in
| chief of the feast, then the Ulm City band,
then the flag of Ulm, with its coat of arms.
| With 1t and attending were two little pages.
| Then the Lord Burgomeisters and their wives,
| then the royal ambassador of the Emperor.
| Macmillan v; then come the patricians aud
councilmen of Ulm, and then the Is & rls of
| honor, from the first families of Ulm, who are
| to dance before the Duke. These were com
posed of young ladies' from among the first
| German families of this city, and we're dressed
| all in one style, but of different colOrs, very
| rich in color and material. Then comes the
/ Archers' band and the Archers, "a, with their
banner and bows, followed by the target bear
ers, and after them come the citizens, their
| families, the peasants and children. The two
| bands can be heard at different points in the
procession, and sounds like they were mile
| away, first advancing, then receding.
| After passing from sight the music could
/ slhl be heard in the distance. A short time
| passed and they returned, accompanied by the
/ Duke, and duchess. First entered the bowmen
i who formed two TANKS then entered the
| dancing girls. also drawing to one side, then
| came the herald of the Duke and two pages
or banner bearers dressed in the colors of
| Wurtemourg and Bavaria, as the Duchess is a
| Bavarian princess. They are followed by the
| Duke and Duchess and four pages, then follow
the burgomeisters on either side of the Duke
and Duchess, and then come the mobiles and
| ladies of the Dukes suite, and the citizens of
4 Ulm. After the royal party seat themselves
on the throne and seats of honor before the
/ city hall, the burgomeister welcomes them to
| the city and the Duke replies. The well eXecu-
/ ted military drill of the bowmen then takes
place, and IL Is truly wonderful what a short
training can do with number of Intelligent
| determined men. The burgomeister then
| opens his wine cellar and offers the guests his
| choicest wines and the health of the Duke
| and Duchess are pledged by all in sparkling
| champagne genuine. After this the shooting
tournament takes place and some
| very good shooting was done
with the crossbows. The archer making
the king shot, IL, is then crowned with a
| wreath of laurel and is borne upon the shout
ders of his comrades. After this iun is ended